Demonstrations organized by the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) and aimed at protesting against influx of illegal immigrants have been postponed to Friday.
This is according to CDEDI chairperson Sylvester Namiwa who said the new date was confirmed on Tuesday after having a meeting with all concerned parties which included Lilongwe City Council authorities, police and the Lilongwe Small Scale Businesses Operators.
Namiwa said the council’s told them to move the date of the protests from Wednesday to Friday December 18 claiming that the earlier announced date is already booked for Concerned Local Fuel Transporters protests.
He said the march will start from Lilongwe Community ground passing through Mchesi to Kamuzu Central Hospital Roundabout and then they will present a petition to the Lilongwe City Council Chief Executive Officer at Lilongwe Civic Office.
“We could not hold demonstrations on Wednesday, 16 December, 2020 as earlier announced because the city council informed us that the date was already set for the Concerned Local Fuel Transporters as per Section 96(3) of the Police Act being the first organisation whose notification was received earlier before ours.
“CDEDI and the Lilongwe Small Scale Business Operators will lead all well-meaning Malawians in exercising their democratic right to conduct peaceful demonstrations to demand answers and explanations from President Chakwera and his administration,” said Namiwa.
The organization wants president Chakwera’s administration to stop the influx of illegal immigrants from China, Nigeria, India, Lebanon, Pakistan, Rwanda, Burundi, and Somalia who are illegally conducting businesses in the country and have taken up the last available economic opportunities for the locals
CDEDI further wants the president to act on the irregularities in the Affordable Input Program (AIP) which they say is taking away the dignity of the poor people, especially women who are sleeping at the selling depots and are being exposed to all sorts of sexual abuses.
Similar demonstrations will also be held in the cities of Blantyre and Mzuzu at later dates.
